


Love, life and plastic lemons - The comeuppance.

by KitsuneArashi, Lamamu



Series: GISHWHES prompt fics [2]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Boys Kissing, Christmas, Destiel - Freeform, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Fun, M/F, M/M, Past Abuse, Past Rape/Non-con, Past Relationship(s), Sabriel - Freeform, Sex, Smut, dean/cas - Freeform, m/m - Freeform, more to come - Freeform, sam/gabriel - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-26
Updated: 2018-08-13
Packaged: 2019-05-28 22:48:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,313
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15059486
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KitsuneArashi/pseuds/KitsuneArashi, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lamamu/pseuds/Lamamu
Summary: (This is a follow up to the GISHWHES fic we wrote: Love, Life and Plastic Lemons, but can be read alone. It is set about 18 months later, give or take. We're introducing a few new characters, and will be switching POV between the main ones, which for this will include Michael as well as the usual favourites. Also, Raphael is a woman and her brother 'Luke' will  probably make an appearance, just because.. feels bad man.)Anyway, enjoy!It was time.Enough of it had passed, and Michael's plan was ready.Christmas with the Novaks would never be the same again.





	1. Almost Christmas

**Author's Note:**

> We've been working on this for a while.. but we're both so busy!
> 
> We have two chapters ready to go, and the rest will come along shortly! As always, it's a joint effort, and we hope you enjoy this instalment. Naturally, as we go, we're developing one-shot ideas and so on too.

~~~~~

It was early afternoon but the daylight was fading fast. Michael looked up at the sky as he climbed out of his car and he smiled at the gathering clouds, the reason for the early gloom that was settling over the neighbourhood. It looked like they might finally have a white Christmas, after all. Things couldn’t be more perfect.

His family was whole again. His brother was getting married, and better yet, it was legal.

His cousin had found life again, and love along the way.

Anna was making eyes at someone else other than Dean for a change.

And Michael? Well, there was this sweet brunette he’d been dating for a few months now, and she’d agreed to spend part of Christmas with him and his rowdy family _and_ she was sleeping over. Naked, if he had anything to do with it.

Oh yes, things were perfect.

He carted his groceries into the house in one manly trip, juggling the boxes and bags awkwardly on his hips as he shoved through the door. It was time. The others would arrive soon, and he wasn’t about to get sprung making his preparations. Everything had to be _just so_ , or it would never work.

“Anna, little help?” He grunted as a box went flying. “How is the food coming along?”

Anna stuck her head around the corner, wiping her hands on her jeans as she fully rounded the corner. Michael had to grin at the smudge of flour on her cheek, and he chuckled softly at the streak of it in her hair. She really was hopeless in the kitchen, and he’d only asked her to peel vegetables.

“Just fine…” She said, taking some of the boxes from him. “What is that divine smell?”

“Oh, just some things I picked up. And a ….gift for Ralph.” His cheeks flushed at the mention of her name and he cleared his throat. Anna didn’t need to know about his awkward trip into Victoria’s Secret, the incident with the perfume tester _or_ the conversation about cup size. “I did tell you she was coming, right?”

Anna rolled her eyes at the besotted look in her brother’s eyes and elbowed him in the ribs. She peeked into the pink and black striped bag and her eyes widened at the flimsy bit of lace she could see hiding in there. “Only about a dozen times… today. I still can’t believe you have a girlfriend. And her name is _Ralph_. You haven’t had a girlfriend since Hael.”

Michael grinned foolishly at her, ignoring her reference to the past and made his way into the kitchen to offload his grocery burden. “First, she’s not _officially_ my girlfriend. Second, her name isn’t Ralph. It’s just what I call her. Third… Nice work with the...flour. What the hell?” Michael changed the subject quickly. It was everywhere.

The doorbell rang and Anna shot off to answer that instead of Michael, not bothering to hide the laughter that bubbled up out of her mouth as she practically flew out of the kitchen. “I bet she’ll be your girlfriend after she sees that little gem. And that’s what you get for putting me on food duty. Deal with it.”

Michael groaned. He wasn’t ready. They couldn’t be here yet. He was only just getting started. He started cleaning away Anna’s mess, muttering under his breath the whole time. A few moments later Anna reappeared with Alfie in tow. “It was just Alfie.. And a truckload of firewood. Though God knows why he bothered with the doorbell.”

Alfie went straight to the fridge and grabbed a beer, twisting the lid off and downing half of it before he even looked at Michael. “Yeah.. me and the firewood. Lucky too, they were almost out, and it just started to snow so…” He took another long pull on the beer and burped noisily. “I’ll go stack it while there’s still enough light. Anna come help me. You’re just going to mess up in here if you try to help.”

Michael sighed in relief as Anna agreed. He wound up the dishcloth in his hands behind his back. “Good, get out of here, I have things to do.” As they passed him, he flicked them both on the backside, laughing at the squeaks of pain that came from both of them as they darted out the door.

He baked, rolled, pan-fried and whisked for hours. It was their first Christmas as a family again after all these years, and Michael wanted it to be memorable. He was just putting the finishing touches on the eggnog and taking a well deserved sip - right out of the bowl - when Dean and Castiel strolled in through the back door, taking him completely by surprise.

“Oh, nice.” Dean drawled as he removed his woollen scarf, shaking the snowflakes off it and letting them fall to the floor. “Now the eggnog has straight-guy germs in it. Don’t you know that’s contagious?”

Michael choked on the mouthful he had and set the bowl down, coughing like crazy as some of it lodged in his windpipe. He didn’t miss a beat though. “Oh no,” He spluttered, wiping at his mouth with the back of one hand. “this one has rainbow sprinkles in it, princess. _You’re_ completely safe. It’s the rest of us that have to worry.”

Castiel looked between the two of them with well-practised patience. He was used to their bantering by now, and generally kept out of it. He did, however dip his fingers into the eggnog with a shameless grin and lick them clean, making sure his brother was watching. “Oh yeah, you can taste the rainbow.”

“Get -” Michael swiped the bowl away from him and shooed them both out of the way. “Go claim a room before Gabriel gets here. Though Sam might appreciate the bigger bed.”

“You’re damn right he will.” Sam said as he sauntered through the other door with a huge grin on his face, coming in from the front of the house. “In fact….” He cocked his head to one side, listening as the clatter of footsteps echoed from the floor above. “You snooze, you lose. Smells good in here.” He added in a cheerful tone, snagging a cookie of the baking sheet.

He didn’t see Michael’s face go pale, or notice the look of relief on said face when he groaned happily over the flavours that hit his tastebuds.

Gabriel walked in a few moments later and instantly raided the fridge, passing out Michael’s fancy beer for everyone without asking. He made a big show of looking around the room, wandering from cupboard to cupboard opening doors and peering within. He even looked under the sink. He eventually straightened and looked at Michael with a carefully composed, yet completely blank expression. “Really Mikey, what’s the deal? Where’s this girl of yours? She’s imaginary isn’t she? Admit it.”

Dean laughed and took the beer Gabriel offered in one hand while he picked up his bags with the other. “I need to shower. With my beer.” He shot a defiant glance at the others, cheeks pink but daring them to comment. “Shut up, it’s been a long day.”  
  
Castiel smirked and caught Gabriel’s eye with a wink, the shorter man catching on immediately and letting out a low groan of disgust. “Really guys, you couldn’t make it all the way across town without some kind of public indecency?”

“Ha.. says the guy who wanted to stop to admire the view at the lookout over the river.. In the opposite direction.” Sam said sarcastically, giving Gabriel a raised eyebrow. “Jealousy is a curse, man.”  
  
Dean snorted a laugh at Gabriel’s indignant squawk of “Whose side are you on?!” and continued up the stairs, as comfortable in Michael’s house as he was in his own. Dumping his bags on the bed in the room at the end of the hallway, he made his way to the bathroom stripping his upper half as he moved.

“Jesus christ…” He heard Anna squawk behind him as a door opened at the opposite end. “Warn a girl, will you?” She rushed down the stairs, avoiding eye contact. Her eyes were busy elsewhere for as long as it took her to disappear.

Dean didn’t notice, he was too focused on finally getting clean. The car he had pulled apart earlier in the day had leaked oil all over him and he reeked of it. Not that Cas had minded one bit. For some reason he liked it when Dean smelled of car engines and leather. He showered quickly, for once taking into consideration that he was in a house full of people, and he didn’t know what Michael’s hot water supply was like. Relieved, clean and pleasantly buzzed from his beer, Dean opened the shower door and reached for a towel.

His hand met with a tiny scrap of cloth. “What the?” He twisted himself to see and cursed. “Son of a bitch. Where’s my towel?” Dean stood there dripping, just staring around the room. His clothes were still there, but his towel was gone. All he could find was a hand towel sitting on top of his dirty clothes. “I’m going mad..Mad I tell you.”

Dean grabbed it anyway and dried himself off as best he could, wondering how he was doing to get back to his room without being seen. He eyed his grease stained clothes with distaste, and with a determined set to his jaw, picked them up and opened the door.

It wasn’t _that_ far.

He crept out of the bathroom, bare assed with his hands covering the his groin and stepped quickly towards the room.

“Duuuuuude.”

Dean froze on the spot and looked back over his shoulder to see Sam at the top of the stairs trying not to laugh. Castiel was behind him, blinking at the sight of Dean naked in the hallway. It was nothing he hadn’t seen before, but out in the open like this? In his _brother’s_ house?

“What? I lost my towel..” He replied lamely.

Sam gave up and started laughing, but he slipped past Dean and into his room, closing the door loudly behind him. “Put it away.” He called in a muffled tone.

“Shouldn’t you be.. Uh.. getting dressed now Dean?” Castiel asked him, seeing that Dean hadn’t moved. “Michael sent me up to tell you to bring your towel down when you were done.”

“What fucking towel?” Dean snorted, giving himself a good scratch as he spoke. “All I had was a scrap of cloth that wouldn’t even cover my junk.” And with that comment, Dean dropped his hands and placed them onto his hips. They began to rotate, swinging around in circles. “Need a king size towel to cover this, right babe?”

“Scarred for life, Dean.” Sam yelled.

Castiel’s eyes widened and he moved forward, a hungry look in his eyes. “I don’t think Sam will want to see your.. Junk swinging in the breeze Dean.”

“He’s windmilling, isn’t he?” Sam called from behind the door. “God help me.”

Voices drifted up the staircase.

“Trust me angel, you’re going to fit right in. We’ll just put your bag away and you can -”

Michael stopped at the sight of Dean standing naked in the hallway swinging his bits around in circles. He could hear Sam’s muffled protests coming from behind a door and started to laugh. Until he remembered who was with him.

“Dean… Jesus.! Uhhh Ralph.” Michael was suddenly quite flustered and didn’t know where to look. “This naked guy doing the helicopter in my hallway is Dean… and my brother, Castiel is the one who is ogling him.”

“Run! Fast, while you have the chance.” Sam was still complaining from behind the door.

A slender, mahogany haired woman peeked out from behind Michael with mischief in her dark brown eyes. She looked Dean over with detached interest. “Looks more like an ultralight traffic chopper to me.” She stepped up, stood taller and whispered something in Michael’s ear, making the eldest Novak turn beet red.

Cas thought he heard something about Michael being a Super Stallion and decided he’d had enough. There was no way, no chance in his mind that _that_ was remotely possible. Michael was just way too….on the level to be anything but boring in bed. Not that he wanted to think about his brother naked. Or fucking.

“Ewwww!” Castiel pulled a face, gave Dean a shove towards the door and they disappeared into their room with their combined laughter ringing through the house.

_Shit.._

Michael was still blushing. Sure, his plan there had worked perfectly but to have Ralph see the end result just.. Flapping around like that? He knew he couldn’t have guessed Dean might have reacted the way he did but still. What if the rest of it went that way too and she decided it was all too much? He started to second guess himself and the rest of the gathering, just kind of staring at the carpet where Dean and Cas had been a moment before.

‘Ralph’, however, was having none of it. “Come on stud, let’s get my bag to your room. I need to change.” She took him by the hand, and it snapped him out of his stupor long enough for him to lead her there and throw her bag onto the bed. She’d been in there before, of course, but that didn’t stop Ralph from running a curious eye around the room and the almost stark features within. It was almost bare, as if nothing of what she saw in her lover was allowed to be visible.

She didn’t like it, the way he felt like he had to hide, but she did like him. And that was all that mattered.

Michael sat on the edge of the mattress, reached out and pulled Ralph close to him, grunting in satisfaction when she sat on his lap, with her legs parted around either side of his thighs. Her dress rode up high on her legs and he noted with interest that despite the snow and the cold outside, she had no tights on.

“So.. about that.” Michael had told her a little of his plans, but now she was here he wanted to come clean. But his body decided it was going to have other ideas. His hands slid up her pale, creamy thighs, past her hips and wrapped around her waist, kneading along her spine where he knew she’d have knots to work out. She worked long hours and for some reason enjoyed his massages. He made a mental note to make a more thorough job of it later.

Ralph slid closer, pushed her torso against him and sucked in a quick breath when her breasts brushed up against Michael’s toned chest. The slight friction she felt as the fabric of her bra brushed against her nipples gave her goosebumps. She moaned softly and slung her arms around his neck, leaning in closer to nibble at his earlobe. “Looks like you’ve got everything under control to me.” She whispered into his ear in a sultry tone, before nuzzling her way down his neck. “Maybe later you can have something else under control too.” Michael heard the teasing smile in her voice, felt her lips dusting over his skin and something inside him snapped.

Michael’s hands gripped her tighter. He moved fast, and suddenly Ralph found herself flipped onto her back, pinned under his weight. With a low, possessive growl, Michael’s lips were against her exposed shoulder, travelling along her collarbone and up into her hairline. The scent of her vanilla shampoo tickled his nostrils and he groaned again, mouthing at her soft skin.

Ralph shuddered underneath him. This was new, and nowhere near unwelcome. She sighed and moulded her body to Michael’s and slowly rocked her hips up into his. “Or now. Yes.. now.” Her silky whisper was just demanding enough for Michael’s mind to empty of anything except the stunning woman now writhing underneath him. One hand ran up the outside of her thigh, slipped under her dress and shortly after his fingers toyed with the edge of her panties. One thin layer of lace in his way. _What was he thinking?_ He slid his fingertips under the edge and found warm, wet skin. The quick inhale of breath he heard urged him on.

“Is that for me, Ralph?” He asked quietly in a husky tone as he dared to venture further in, slipping two fingers barely to the first knuckle inside her without warning. The tiny whimper that escaped her was all the confirmation Michael needed to keep going. Her breath hitched as he sank his fingers in deeper, and Michael’s confidence grew.

“Oh god. I can’t escape it.” Sam’s voice was in the hallway again, sounding desperate, yet all could hear the smile in his words.

Michael was never more glad that his bed was positioned so that they couldn’t see what he was doing unless they fully entered the room. He kept his arm still, but curled his fingers inside Ralph, not stopping for a second. His eyes searched for her face and found her biting down on her bottom lip in an effort to stay both still _and_ quiet. “Shhhh.” He mouthed at her, absolutely smitten with the sight of her obvious struggle to accede to his quiet demand. His eyes darkened and Michael felt his heartbeat quicken.

“Woah hey, is that a blow up doll? Wait, there’s movement. Looks like she’s real after all. Guess I owe you $50 Sammy. _Again._ ”

“And don’t think you’re paying me in syrup. That’s like... buying your own gift.”

“But if I cover _you_ in the syrup it’s a win-win.” Gabriel’s voice faded as though he was walking away.

“I won the bet, asshole. I get the win.” Sam retorted in a dry tone. “Besides, it’s Christmas. I want you to.. Uhh.” Their voices faded completely as they headed downstairs.

Michael groaned in despair and dropped his forehead to Ralph’s shoulder. This holiday was either going to kill him or make him a legend. He wasn’t sure which one he wanted more at this point. A grunt of frustration brought him back to the present moment.

_Oh, right._

“Don’t you _dare_ stop.” The pleading tone in Ralph’s voice, barely above a whisper had Michael’s hand moving again, almost like it was on autopilot. Ralph’s encouraging moan told him he’d hit her sweet spot.

“The door…” He mumbled, losing some of the nerve he’d had just a few moments before. He really shouldn’t be up here pawing at his… girlfriend?..while his family were downstairs. They had been dating for a few months, sure. But Michael wasn’t sure she wanted that commitment. Aside from a few comments here and there, it was something they hadn’t discussed in any detail. He wasn’t even sure if they were ‘exclusive’ or not, even if they did spend almost every spare moment together. Not that there were many, with both of them being so busy. And then there was that situation with Hael, so many years ago. The woman had threatened legal action against him, wanted to have him charged because he’d dared to just... _let go_. Something he’d never told his siblings. But Ralph knew. For some reason she knew almost everything about him already. A lifetime of responsibility and doubt suddenly weighed down on the eldest Novak and he sighed even as he felt her responding so sensually to his touch. Damn his brain. He faltered.

And suddenly, she was there, in his head with him, like she had been from the start. Ralph’s hands were splayed on his cheeks and she forced him to look at her again, dark brown eyes meeting the blue-green of the ocean. “Stop thinking Michael.” Those chocolate coloured eyes bored into his and once again he was ready to drown in them forever.

_“I’m not her.”_

How did she know him so well?

“I…” He didn’t get any further because her lips were pressed against his and he felt her tongue slide against his bottom lip, probing, insisting.. “....will be.. The door, Ralph..” His words, a lip service to protest were muffled against her lips, and he smiled into her insistent little kisses despite the half-hearted complaining he was doing.

“No.” The defiance in her tone was a challenge Michael really didn’t want to deny. Ralph dropped her hands to the waistband of his cargo pants and within seconds, she had them undone and was sliding her fingers along the considerable length of his already hard, throbbing cock. God, it felt like the first time she’d touched him all over again. “Michael…” Hesitation crept into _her_ voice now, a complete contrast to the gentle touch of her fingers along his shaft. “You have _no idea_ how turned on I am thinking about you being so...mm.. dominant like you were just now. More.” Her voice drew him in further, like a siren’s song. It wasn’t as if their previous sexual encounters had been boring, but there was an element of _tameness_ to it.

Now, it was as though they were both standing on the edge of a precipice neither knew how to cross.

“So let it go Michael. Take me.. here, _now_ . Fast. With the door open.” Her slender fingers wrapped around his hard length and he groaned, pushing himself into her fisted hand. He couldn’t. It was _wrong_. The things he wanted to do didn’t mesh with what he’d been told was possible, how he’d learned. What he’d been accused of.

“Can’t.. Ralph. It’s.. I’ll hurt you.” Hands carded through her hair. He felt the tip of his cock pressing against the tight wet heat of her entrance, guided there by her clever hand, and Michael had to force himself to hold back from just pounding her into the mattress. It was his turn to whimper. His whole life he always held back. _Even more so after Hael._

“You don’t know that.” She replied in a reassuring tone, pressing kisses along his jawline, luring him deeper in both mind and body. Ralph tilted her hips and he sank a little deeper into her and yet he still held back. She held his head with her other hand, keeping his ear close to her lips. “I want this. Let go baby. Please let go. I trust you. I... love you. Now _please..._ fuck me like you mean it.”

This. This was nothing like before. Awareness flooded into him. Ralph wasn’t Hael.

“...Christ.” He was done. There was no argument left in him. Not that there had really been one to begin with. Snapping his hips forward, Michael buried himself to the hilt inside Ralph in one swift movement. In less than a second he was balls deep in her tight, wet heat. “Vixen…” Was all he managed to get out before he plunged his tongue into her mouth, claiming her with a desperate, demanding kiss. Pulling back, Michael rotated his hips and withdrew from her completely before he pushed into her again with a strangled groan. And again. Hard and fast, just like she’d asked.. demanded. Her legs parted further, and Ralph wrapped her ankles around the back of his thighs, taking him deeper than he ever thought possible.

She met his thrusts with equal fervour and her head fell back into the blankets he’d thrown her against earlier. Hips slammed together in perfect sync and it wasn’t long before the little noises coming from the little brunette started to sound feverish. Loud. He felt his shirt tear under the grip of her hands. Fingernails penetrated the fabric, digging deep scratches into his back, and Michael growled roughly into her mouth.

“I thought I said… Shhh.” Michael cautioned her for the second time, pulling his mouth away and placing a hand over her now kiss bruised lips with a sly grin. He fisted his other hand in her hair and pulled her head to one side, nosing at the shell of her ear while his hips changed pace to a torturously slow roll that he could barely endure. Each lazy thrust was like a piece of heaven. A warm, _tight_ heaven that only he had access to. “You can scream for me when we’re alone, angel.” Michael suddenly _really_ wanted to hear her screaming for him. Ralph’s breathing was as ragged as his, he could feel it hot and fast on his palm, and her pupils were fully blown. She was coming undone. For him. And... he wasn’t hurting her. He watched, mesmerized as her head twisted and he felt her tongue dart out, sliding along his palm. She licked his fingers, knowing she’d be tasting herself from his earlier activities. To think that he hadn’t yet almost shamed him into stopping. Why was she even with him in the first place? Again, her voice stopped him from faltering.

Muffled as it was.

“Harder, baby please. I need…more. I’m so..”

At this point, Michael was only too happy to oblige. With another growl, he picked up the pace again. He angled himself so that he was fucking into her so hard, so _deep_ that his solid rustic timber bed started to hit the wall in time with his thrusts. She was so eager and pliable and wanting… _him_. He didn’t care if the others heard them anymore. Ralph clung tightly to him, surrendering completely to what he was giving her and he could feel that she was getting close to her own end. Her body fitted perfectly against his, and her little whimpers against the palm of his hand told him how much of a struggle it was to keep quiet.

Removing his hand from her mouth, Michael slid it down her slim neck, across her chest to knead at her breast through the fabric of her dress. Damn, he wished he’d taken the time to yank it off her. What he’d give to have his mouth biting down on one of them right now with his tongue rolling around on her nipple.

Oh well. _Next time._

Dimly, the words she had spoken just a while before resurfaced in his mind, and as Michael felt Ralph’s body clench around him and he heard her soft cry - _was that his name?-_ as she tipped over the edge _he knew._ She was it for him.

She said she loved _him_. Not his friend. Not his brother. And to top it all off, she said it first.

That meant something, right?

Ralph loved him.

She was still clinging to him, riding the waves of her own orgasm and doing her damndest to keep quiet when his own hit him hard, and Michael plunged into her soft, quivering walls one final time with a loud, drawn out moan, spilling his seed deep inside her body. His whole body shook and his vision blurred as a wave of ecstasy so intense washed through him he thought his heart might stop. He could feel Ralph trembling around him from head to toe, feel her heartbeat, thudding against his chest.

Their movements slowed, and his kisses became less demanding, softer, to match the now gentle rolling of his hips as they both came down from the intensity of what had just happened.

Neither of them moved. Both were still fully clothed. Ralph was still wrapped around him like a spider monkey.

“I’m not very good at this..” He whispered into her ear when he could talk again. Ralph turned her head slightly so she could see him better and she raised a brow, clearly not trusting herself to be able to speak just yet. Michael could feel her chest rising and falling under his, feel the thud of her heart as the beat slowed. “....So I’ll just throw it out there and we can deal with it later.” A worried frown appeared, and if the situation was different Michael would have laughed at the animated way her eyebrows silently conveyed what was on her mind.

“I love you Ralph.”

Honestly, her smile was like the rising sun.

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's dinner time.
> 
> Gabriel gets suspicious of Ralph, Michael's hobby gets outed and Cas starts to think he's going a little crazy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooorrrry it took so long!
> 
> This one has been ready to go bar editing for a while now, but...
> 
> Life, man.  
> <3 <3 <3

Later, when they had all gathered downstairs Gabriel complained loudly about being hungry, forcing them all to gather in the kitchen. It was a comforting sight with everyone there. Being a family. Though admittedly  _ some _ were more helpful than others. Ralph had brought down a laptop and was busy staring at her screen and typing in-between sips of her beer. She contributed something to the conversation now and then but mostly she remained focused on whatever was more important than the rest of them. Gabriel didn’t want to know about the secretive smile on her face, but he suspected it had something to do with the equally bewildered look on his cousins. To be honest, Michael looked like someone had handed him the keys to heaven and he had no idea what to do with them.

He and Sam had quizzed Michael in the past about this mysterious woman that had been invited to Christmas like she was  _ family _ but gotten nothing but a pair of stupid heart eyes and a ridiculous grin in response. Cas had no idea either, and Dean probably couldn’t care less as long as Michael was happy. Not that Gabriel had asked him.

Now, here she was, sitting there typing away and ignoring them all like she had something better to do than integrate... and Gabriel wasn’t about to let this opportunity slide. It was time to take one for the team. He snagged a pair of fresh beers out of the fridge and slipped into the seat next to her, passing one to her with a disarming grin on his face.

_ Showtime _

“Whatcha doin?” He asked her in a curious tone. Sip. 

Her hand snapped out to take the beer, but otherwise she didn’t respond, though Gabriel did notice her brow perk up at his question. After a few strokes on her keyboard, Ralph looked at him with a weary but genuine smile. “Sorry. I had to finish that sentence… I know, I’m being rude but.” She looked at her screen again and sighed in exaggerated despair. “I promised my students I’d finish marking their assessments before Christmas. And I didn’t want to be a complete asshole by sitting on my own and  _ completely _ ignoring everyone so...” She waved a hand at her laptop and scowled at it. “Compromise.”

Some of the wind went out of Gabriel’s sails and he sipped on his beer again, processing what she’d said.  _ Of course _ she had a reason for being rude. “That was a stupid thing to promise…” He snorted sarcastically and didn’t fail to notice Michael watching him closely. He moderated his tone, just in case. “So... you’re a teacher?”

“Of sorts..” She swung the screen around so he could see the source of her frustration. “This.. this is the future of American medicine. Third year students who don’t know a cannula from a catheter.”

“Well fuck me.” Gabriel said, completely surprised. He leaned forward a little, peering intently at the screen.

“Gross, no thank you.”

“Pass.”

“Yeah, nah.”

“Not if you were the last man on earth.”

Gabriel glared around the room, narrowing his golden eyes at Sam who had joined in on the heckling. “If you’re all quite done.”

Shortly after, he was scooting his chair closer to her so they could see together. “ Assholes. You’re a professor at KSU.” Something on the screen caught his eye and Gabriel clicked on it without asking for permission first. “..Shurley. Huh. You’re  _ Raphael _ Shurley. Shit.” He leaned back in his seat and ran a hand through his hair with a laugh, completely taken aback. At Ralph’s confused expression he tapped himself on the chest and introduced himself properly.

“Gabriel Speight. Paediatrician.”

_ Raphael _ choked on the beer she was in the middle of chugging on. “ _ You _ .” She spluttered, coughing as the beer hit her windpipe. Michael was there in an instant, rubbing a hand firmly along her spine in a somewhat useless, yet endearing attempt to help. “My god.. You’ve had me in stitches so many times my colleagues think I’m crazy. Some of the student anecdotes you send me end up on the  _ ‘don’t do this, ever’ _ list.”

“Well…” Gabriel drawled, at ease now he knew who she was. Now, at least he understood a  _ little _ why Michael had invited her. Their email exchanges were among his favourites. If one could have a favourite email. “It’s your own fault for sending me such good material to work with.”

Sam sat down opposite, having heard the entire exchange. “You’re the archangel of KSU.” He grinned at her, earning a groan from the woman that was nothing like the ones she had given Michael earlier. “The doctor with the archangel name. Funny stuff.”

“Yeah.. and now I guess you know why  _ he _ calls me Ralph. Well, sort of. It’s more of a Simpsons reference.” Raphael stopped talking, but when she saw so many sets of eyes either watching her or Michael, she went on. “When we met, he _ thought _ someone called me Ralph and he just looked at me and said  _ ‘I’m Idaho’... _ ” She stuck her tongue out at Michael, at the mock outrage on his face, looked around the room and shook her head. “It stuck.. And well, he’s already surrounded by angels right?.. Dating another archangel? What are the odds?” She grinned a little wickedly. “Imagine the power struggle.”

“He’s the leader of heaven.” Castiel quipped in his usual dry tone from the other side of the bench as he pulled a tray of roasted vegetables out of the oven. “And all that implies.” All in the room knew what Cas was referring to. His position as head of the family, their strange little family was unquestioned.

Raphael felt a nudge at her shoulder, and Michael leaned down so his mouth was level with her ear. “And don’t you forget it.” _ Nobody _ in the room missed the way her eyes dilated at those words.

“Alright, clear the table. It’s feeding time. That means you too, ninja turtle.” Dean yelled from where he was turning chicken breasts at the stove. “Michael, did you say there was some kind of wine earlier? Should we pretend to be civilised? And where the hell did Alfie go? I sent him to get Anna and now we have neither of them.”

“They’re out there.” Castiel pointed with his tongs toward the large window behind Gabriel and Raphael where he could see Anna and Alfie outside pelting snowballs at each other.

“I did. There’s plenty of wine.” Michael stood straighter and headed to the cupboard to retrieve glasses for everyone at the same time Gabriel leaned back on his chair, balancing it on two legs so he could bang on the window.

It was like a well oiled machine. Raphael moved her laptop and wiped the surface of the table down. Sam carried over the food that was already dished up and set it in the middle. Dean served up his chicken breasts onto an oval plate and passed it to Castiel, who threw some seasoned chopped herbs on them and put it on the table next to his precious vegetables. Michael wandered around with glasses and brought out two bottles of wine to get them started. Anna, with red cheeks and a dusting of snow in her hair got the cutlery. Alfie poured a jug of water and dug out the sourdough loaf he’d bought earlier.

Gabriel supervised.

It was just how he liked it.

Eventually, the table was set and they all sat, talking amongst themselves, yelling across the table for someone to pass the poh-tay-toes and stop hogging all of the gravy, Dean. Even Raphael got in on the action, calling Sam out for stealing a chunk of sourdough from Alfie when he wasn’t looking. 

Michael poured the wine for everyone, mentioning in passing that the wine was locally made, just like his beer. He sat back down again when he was done, nodding to himself that everything was fine.

Perfect, even.

“Ooooh man, this is good.” Gabriel drawled after taking a sip. “I’m not usually a fan of white but damn, Michael. You chose well.” Sam, mouth full of food nodded his agreement.

Michael practically  _ beamed _ at his cousin, and raised his glass to him, watching the others sipping at their glasses with detached interest. “Thanks.. But I can’t take all the credit… It’s all from a vineyard Ralph has an interest in.” All eyes swung back to gaze at her in surprise and she blushed prettily under the weight of their combined stares.

“Michael..” She protested quietly and rolled her eyes. “I.. yes. I’m actually considering buying the others out and turning it into a function centre, among other things. There’s an old brewery shed on the land that Michael has been messing around with. In fact...” She stabbed at her food awkwardly. Not many people supported her ideas and voicing them had made her gun-shy at best. She wasn’t sure if Michael wanted them to know the beer they would be drinking at Christmas was made by his hand alone. Yet. She’d gifted a couple of kegs of it to a couple of the campus bars, and so far the feedback had been better than she expected. It was part of her Christmas present to him. That, along with several other things... and something she didn’t want to think about in polite company. Even the thought of it had her clenching her thighs together under the table.

“A function centre… like for weddings?” Anna interrupted brightly, casting her eyes to Dean and Castiel. “I’d love to do that.” She smiled dreamily, picturing all of the weddings she could plan and witness. Anna really was a softie at heart. “I did it for a while in California when I was in college. It was so much fun, seeing the best of humanity like that.”

Alfie looked at Dean and Cas with a smile on his face. So far he hadn’t said a lot, but he was just happy to be sitting with his family. “Dean and Cas are getting married, maybe your -”

Castiel started coughing behind his hand. His wine glass was still held in one hand and he quickly placed it back onto the table with a shaky hand. “Went down the wrong way..” He explained hastily to the rest of them, grabbing for the water jug and gulping down the contents without bothering to fill a glass first.

“Dude, can’t take you anywhere.” Dean exclaimed in mock disgust.

“I’m sorry. I just got a strange taste in my mouth…” He said with a small frown on his face, staring at his glass. Maybe he was intolerant to the wine or something. Nobody else seemed to be reacting to the awful taste on his tongue. Eyes narrowed, Castiel picked up the glass again and sipped gingerly.

Nope. It was definitely gross. Fishy even.

“Something wrong Cas?” Michael asked him as he poured more wine into his own glass.

“No, I uh…” Castiel gulped nervously, not wanting to offend Raphael, but she seemed to be busy with her own glass, and was talking animatedly with Alfie about making a snowman if the snow got deep enough. “I think I’m more of a beer fan. No offense.”

“Oh.. hey, it’s cool. I’ll get you another beer then.” Michael stood up and went to the kitchen, reappearing a few moments later with a fresh beer for his younger brother. “Here, drink this down and stop whining. Not everyone is a fan.”

Castiel looked at his brother gratefully and chugged down on the beer, swallowing half of it to get the awful taste of the wine out of his mouth. Only, the beer tasted worse. This time when he coughed, beer came spraying out of his nose and mouth at the same time.

“...The hell man? Are you alright?” Dean clapped him on the back as one by one the others stopped what they were doing to give the spectacle that was Castiel their full attention.

Michael looked at him with some concern, as he took his seat trying to look offended at the same time. “Don’t like Ralph’s wine. Now you don’t like my beer either huh? I see how it is.”

“No, it’s not that it’s just..” Surprised, Castiel coughed again and shoveled a large piece of sweet potato smothered in gravy into his mouth. He chewed and swallowed before speaking again. “Everything tasted like...fish. Rotten, oily, fish.”

Anna peered at her brother, blinking innocently. Her cheeks were still flushed red from the cold outside, but the twinkle in her eyes was clear. “Is that like when you eat too much asparagus and it makes your sperm -”   
  
“Wait  _ your _ beer?” Alfie interrupted, looking up at the eldest Novak, wide eyed, “what do you mean yours?”   
  
Raphael caught Michael’s eye and grinned proudly at him. She leaned forward to stage whisper, “Michael brewed this himself.”

All eyes turned to the eldest Novak, and it was his turn to look uncomfortable. Miserable, even. He felt Raphael give his leg a reassuring squeeze under the table. “I was hoping you’d like it….”

Dean was the first to find his tongue again and he jumped in feet first. “I gotta try this beer. You got anymore of those, chief?” He asked Michael excitedly. He may have bounced in his seat a little as the other man rose again with a wink and a resigned sigh to fetch him one.   
  
Castiel followed his brother’s exit from the room with narrowed eyes, shoveling another gravy covered bit of sweet potato into his mouth to try and chase out the fishy taste. He sipped at his water, wondering why he seemed to be the only one affected. Was he getting sick? Was that a thing that happened when you were sick? He opened his mouth to ask Gabriel, when Michael reappeared behind Dean and passed him a fresh bottle of what was apparently a homemade brew.

Castiel eyed his brother curiously as he handed off another bottle of his precious, awful,  _ fishy _ beer to Dean. With a grunt, Cas pushed his own bottle to the centre of the table just as another thought randomly popped into his head. He remembered something about Michael and beer from when he was younger and he opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by a filthy moan erupting from his fiance’s lips.

Normally, those kinds of moans were his to hear, and his alone.

“Dude.” Dean took another swig from his bottle. And another. “This is, hands down the nicest lager I’ve ever tasted.” He saw Michael shift from one foot to the other, clearly uncomfortable, uncertain at best about his brewing abilities. The elder Winchester set the bottle down on the table with a flourish and grinned at his new best friend.

“I’m serious. Trust me, I know my beer. Can you make us some beer for the wedding?”

“Dean I -” Cas started, casting a look up at his brother, who was already looking at him with one eyebrow raised.

“Naw, babe, you don’t understand. Here, Sammy try this.” Dean passed the brew to his brother, who eagerly took it and didn’t hesitate to chug it down.  _ His _ groan had Gabriel dropping his fork and staring between Sam’s mouth and his cousin.

“God in heaven. Michael, give up your day job and make beer.” Immediately after, everyone asked Michael if they too, could have one. Michael, for his part just looked at them all in surprise until Dean gave him a nudge to go get more.

Cas just stared at them all in confusion and drank his water.

 

~~~~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to leave comments below, we really enjoy the feedback.

**Author's Note:**

> Up next - Gabriel gets suspicious and Dean falls in love...
> 
> ...with beer.


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